Mass Russian drone and missile attack kills 15 and injures 48 in
Ukraine's capital
[August 28, 2025]
By HANNA ARHIROVA and SAMYA KULLAB
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia bombarded the Ukrainian capital with drones
and missiles early Thursday, including a rare strike in the city center,
killing at least 15 people and wounding 48, local authorities said.
It was the first major Russian attack on Kyiv in weeks as U.S.-led peace
efforts to end the three-year war struggled to gain traction. Russia
launched 598 strike drones and decoys and 31 missiles of different types
across the country, according to Ukraine's Air Force, making it one of
the war's biggest air attacks.
Among the dead were four children between 2 and 17, said Tymur Tkachenko,
the head of Kyiv’s city administration. The numbers are expected to
rise. Rescue teams were on site to pull people trapped underneath the
rubble.
“Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table," Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X following the attack.
“We expect a response from everyone in the world who has called for
peace but now more often stays silent rather than taking principled
positions.”
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it carried out a strike against
military air bases and companies “within Ukraine’s military-industrial
complex” using long-range weapons, including Kinzhal missiles.
“All designated objects were hit,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also said it shot down 102 Ukrainian drones overnight,
mostly in the country’s southwest. A drone attack sparked a blaze at the
Afipsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, local officials said,
while a second fire was reported at the Novokuibyshevsk refinery in the
Samara region.
Ukrainian drones have repeatedly struck refineries and other oil
infrastructure in recent weeks in an attempt to weaken Russia's war
economy, causing gas stations in some Russian regions to run dry and
prices to spike.
Russia strikes central Kyiv in a rare attack
Russia launched decoy drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles,
said Tkachenko.
At least 20 locations across seven districts of Kyiv had impacts. Nearly
100 buildings were damaged, including a shopping mall in the city
center, and thousands of windows were shattered, he said.
Ukrainian forces shot down and neutralized 563 drones and decoys and 26
missiles across the country, its Air Force said.
Ukraine has ramped up domestic arms production to fight Russia's
invasion. Many weapons factories operate covertly, with some embedded in
civilian areas with superior air defenses. Indiscriminate Russian
attacks claiming to target Ukraine’s defense industry have killed many
civilians.
Russian strikes hit the central part of Kyiv, one of the few times
Russian attacks have reached the heart of the Ukrainian capital since
the start of the full-scale invasion. Residents cleared shattered glass
and debris from damaged buildings.
Sophia Akylina said her home was damaged.
“It’s never happened before that they attacked so close,” the 21-year
old said. "Negotiations haven't yielded anything yet, unfortunately
people are suffering.”
Damage to EU delegation building sparks condemnation
Also damaged was the European Union delegation building in Kyiv and the
British Council building. Staff were not harmed, EU President Ursula von
der Leyen said.
The European Commission said it will summon Russia’s envoy to the
European Union as a result of the attack that damaged the bloc’s
diplomatic compound in Kyiv.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said in a post on X on
Thursday that she would summon Russia’s envoy to the 27-nation bloc.
“No diplomatic mission should ever be a target. In response, we are
summoning the Russian envoy in Brussels,” Kallas wrote.
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Firefighters work on the site of a burning building after a Russian
attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, early Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem
Lukatsky)
Following the strike on the EU's building, French Foreign Minister
Jean-Noel Barrot posted a message on X calling for an end to the
attacks.
“This must stop. We will increase pressure to put an end to this
massacre," he wrote.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the latest attack in his
own X post.
″629 missiles and drones in one night on Ukraine: this is Russia’s
desire for peace. Terror and barbarism," Macron wrote.
Bodies pulled from the rubble
Smoke billowed from the crumbled column of a five-story residential
building in the Darnytskyi district, which suffered a direct hit. An
acrid stench of burning material wafted in the air as firefighters
worked to contain the blaze.
Emergency responders searched for survivors and pulled bodies from
the destruction. Crowds of residents stood nearby waiting for
relatives to retrieved from the rubble, including a man who was
waiting for information about his wife and son. Bodies in black bags
were placed to the side of the building.
At least 10 people were known to be missing by the afternoon,
according to Ukraine's Emergency Service.
It was not the first time the district was targeted, neighborhood
residents said.
Oleksandr Khilko arrived at the scene after a missile hit the
residential building where his sister lives. He heard screams from
people who were trapped under the rubble and pulled out three
survivors, including a boy.
“It’s inhuman, striking civilians,” he said, his clothes covered in
dust and the tips of his fingers black with soot. “With every cell
of my body I want this war to end as soon as possible. I wait, but
every time the air raid alarm sounds, I am afraid.”
Ukraine’s national railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, reported damage
to its infrastructure in the Vinnytsia and Kyiv regions, causing
delays and requiring trains to use alternative routes.
Diplomatic efforts to reach peace have stalled
Thursday's attack is the first major combined Russian mass drone and
missile attack to strike Kyiv since U.S. President Donald Trump met
with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska earlier this month
to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
While a diplomatic push to end the war appeared to gain momentum
shortly after that meeting, few details have emerged about the next
steps.
Western leaders have accused Putin of dragging his feet in peace
efforts and avoiding serious negotiations while Russian troops move
deeper into Ukraine. This week, Ukrainian military leaders conceded
Russian forces have broken into an eighth region of Ukraine seeking
to capture more ground.
Zelenskyy hopes for harsher U.S. sanctions to cripple the Russian
economy if Putin does not demonstrate seriousness about ending the
war. He reiterated those demands following Thursday's attack.
“All deadlines have already been broken, dozens of opportunities for
diplomacy ruined,” Zelenskyy said.
Trump bristled this week at Putin’s stalling on an American proposal
for direct peace talks with Zelenskyy. Trump said Friday he expects
to decide on next steps in two weeks if direct talks aren’t
scheduled.
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Associated Press journalists Yehor Konovalov and Vasilisa Stepanenko
contributed to this report.
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